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I've got a project I want to work that I just can't find anything that's a suitable base to convert.
Once upon a time I was a decent sculptor and i'd like to try it again..

The good news is I'm thinking of doing something around 8-10 inches tall so I don't need to be able to do a detailed sculpt on a small 1" figure.

My main questions would be around what materials I'd want to use and the basic process...

Should I make a wire frame statue and then build up on it with muscle mass etc?
And what type of clay would i be wanting to use...

any insight would be much appreciated!

You'll definitely want to use some sort of armature. Traditional sculpting wisdom says that building the model up like a human body (wire skeleton, slabs of muscle, skin, then surface details and clothes) is best, but some people can just wing it with surprisingly natural results.

For something that size, I'd want to use the cheapest and strongest materials possible for bulking out the basic form. Air-dry or oven-bake (polymer clay, like Sculpey) clays are good for this. You can even use wadded up aluminum foil under the clay to further cut down on material use. This also keeps the clay layer thin, which leads to less cracking with air-dry clays and a faster cure time for both.

Once you get into skinning and detailing, it's more a matter of personal preference. I've seen some absolutely amazing detail work done with polymer clays, but most wargaming sculptors, at least, tend to use 2-part epoxy putties, like Kneadatite (greenstuff), Milliput, ProCreate, etc. Different brands have different working (some are stickier and gummier, some work more like clay) and cured (some remain slightly flexible, some cure hard and can be sanded) properties, as well as different working times (they all cure over time, often at different rates depending on temperature). Many can even be mixed to average out their particular properties (mixing GS and Milliput is popular). You'll probably want to wait for/look up some more particular reviews of different products, then experiment a bit to find what works best for you.